


Like A Leaf in the Wind

by yeahrad



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Fluff, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeahrad/pseuds/yeahrad
Summary: Reader has a nightmare about a traumatic attack they had gone through quite a while ago. Bofur is there to help as best he can.
Relationships: Bofur (Tolkien) & Reader, Bofur (Tolkien)/Reader, Bofur Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Like A Leaf in the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> First time posting here, ooh, how fun. How exciting. How sexy of me. But, anyway, I hope you enjoy this! I wrote it when a friend gave me a prompt. I had just read an imagine that kinda left a bad taste in my mouth so she recommended this! Yes, she IS an intellectual, you’re right and you should say it. Anyway, again, I do hope you enjoy it. I plan on maybe writing something much much longer about Bofur and an original character! So... be on the lookout for that <3

I could feel the weight of the man on top of me. How had he even found me again? Since that terrible night in the alleyway... I tried to shake the memory from my mind. I needed to escape and fast, I would NOT live through such a thing again. It was either escape or die trying. I had no real preference. 

My body was shaking much more than I would like to admit. The last thing I wanted this man to know was that he instilled fear in my heart. This nameless man. I knew nothing of him. It occurred to me I had never even clearly seen his face. But I knew those terrible hands anywhere. It seemed no matter how much I kicked or thrashed around, nothing would stop the terrible man. I desperately attempted to kick the man as his hand grasped my shirt. It felt like the beginning of the-

Suddenly I was thrust back into the real world. My arms were stretched out behind me as I leaned my weight on them. Sweat dripped down my temples, mixing with the tears that had already begun to fall. My breaths came out quickly, products of the fear that remained from whatever terrible nightmare that had been.

Nearly everyone in camp was asleep. I slowly realized that and tried to stay as quiet as possible. I was so focused on quieting myself that I didn’t hear the footsteps that approached my side. 

“Y’alright, lass?” came a quiet voice. I recognized the voice, but had never heard quite that much concern within it.

Swallowing hard, I nodded quickly. No need for him to worry. “Yes...”

Bofur must not have been convinced, he didn’t move from where he was now kneeling on one knee. “No offense, dear, but I don’t quite believe that. Now, what’s got ya shakin’, lass?”

And who could blame him? I was drenched in sweat, hyperventilating, and crying. That doesn’t exactly scream ‘perfectly stable and fine’.

I turned my head slightly to meet his gaze. “I dreamt he came back...” I muttered. Whether it was to keep from waking the others or out of fear the man would hear if I said it too loud, I couldn’t be sure. 

His eyes were filled with concern, but also seemed to be asking a question he didn’t dare ask out loud. I answered for him. 

“The man who attacked me.”

I had briefly told him about the event quite some time ago. Funnily enough, it was on a night much like the current one. We were both alone while most of the company slept. 

As I watched him, I half worried about his comforting abilities. The memory of his “comforting words” to Bilbo on the night he joined the company came to mind. Perhaps he wasn’t truly trying to be comforting then. He was an agent of mischief and chaos, that was for sure.

He nodded, gingerly pushing the damp hair that hung over my face. “Dream did quite a number on ya...”

The observation had come out quite mumbled. No sooner had the words been spoken than he began to tear a corner of his shirt. Had I been in a normal state, I probably would have laughed at the thought of having one to match Bilbo’s now.

Bofur leaned forward a bit to wipe the sweat from my face and forehead. My focus started to shift the tiniest bit. Each touch from the dwarf seemed to distract me if only for a moment.

“Come now, sweet girl, don’t cry,” he smiled, holding a hand out to me. “We’ll remedy this right now.”

Whatever he had planned had to be better than sitting there with my thoughts. I slipped my hand into his, feeling his other hand rest against my back as he helped me stand.

I felt a bit unsteady as shivers still coursed through me. “What are we going to do, Bofur?”

He led me to one of the logs we had all been happily sitting on just hours earlier. “You, lass, are going to sit right here.”

Though I was grateful for the help, I desperately hoped this wasn’t just going to be an interrogation about my dream and/or tragic past. The last thing I needed was to relive the moment a third time. And out loud at that.

Confusion began adding itself to my list of emotions as I watched the dwarf kneel by the fire that had long since gone out. 

“Bofur, may I ask just what it is that you’re up to?” I asked through a sniffle, remembering to keep my volume low.

He didn’t answer, at least not in the way I was prompting him to. I didn’t receive so much as a look before he muttered, “Go look in my pack. Should be a pouch of leaves in there.”

I started to rise when he suddenly stood, nearly making me flinch from the speed of his movements. “Hold on just a second now. No. You stay there. We’re takin’ care of you here, not the other way ‘round.”

Slowly, I sat back down. Leaves? What was the dwarf going to do? Pack a pipe for me? He knew I didn’t smoke. I glanced down at my hands, which had turned nearly white from gripping the bark on the log so hard. A fact I hadn’t been aware of until that very moment.

My thoughts drifted back to the nightmare. It had felt so real. So very real. I had felt my back slam against the ground, the contact my arms had made with the chest of my attacker, the terrible feeling of his grip...

“There we are.” The voice of the sweet dwarf brought me back. I craned my neck to see him and watched as he held up the pouch he had been talking about.

He quickly returned to his spot by the fire, or firewood. I decided to risk an oncoming lecture by moving to be beside him.

“Bofur...?”

I hardly got the name out of my mouth before he shook his head and led me back to the log.

“Sit down, I said. How many times must a dwarrow tell ya to sit down before ya listen? Want me to ask ‘til my voice is hoarse?”

A small smile found its place on my lips. “Perhaps just before it goes hoarse.”

He muttered something about how I must be at least half dwarf with all the stubbornness I had. Once again, I was left alone on the log as Bofur seemed to be starting a fire. It seemed my tears had dried, leaving the remnants of shivers and a small sniffle behind.

My gaze fell on Bofur, who now had some sort of pot by his leg. I hadn’t expected it, but I’d grown to care for the dwarf. The feelings had simply snuck up on me when I least expected them. Surely those feelings weren’t returned, though. Best not to dwell on them. He was just being kind, he was like that. One of the kindest people I had ever met, really.

I must have lost myself, along with track of time, in those thoughts, because once I had come back to my senses, Bofur was approaching me.

“A tea fer the lady,” he smiled, placing the cup in my hands as he took a seat beside me. “Careful, dear One, mighty hot. We wouldn’t want to burn those lips o’ yours.”

So that’s what he had been busy with. I gratefully held the cup and, knowing he had warned me about the temperature, quickly spilled the contents towards my lips. Just as the prophet foretold, the hot liquid burned my lips ever so slightly. Just enough to make me hiss in pain. 

“Too late,” I muttered, holding the side of my thumb to my bottom lip.

His eyebrows shot up at that. “Too late? Lass, ya scorched yer lips after I warned ya. Not exactly a case of bein’ late, now, is it?”

I only gave him a sheepish smile in reply, more focused on the pain in my lips and ever present shiver. It was all that was left from my earlier symptoms.

Bofur must have noticed it too. The weight of his large fur coat fell onto my shoulders, nearly knocking me forward. I was going to thank him, but was silenced by his hand being placed on my jaw. 

“Now, let’s take a look at that burn o’ yours,” he muttered, turning my head a bit to see my lips. “Hmm... may have to consult Oin, but I think ye’ll live.”

“Uh-huh...” was all I could whisper while my eyes watched his. I was pretty sure I was supposed to laugh, people expect that after a joke. But too many things were distracting me at the moment.

Were we on the same page? No. No we couldn’t be. He was cheering me up. Trying to make me laugh after that nightmare. That’s what it was.

His eyes flicked up to mine, catching my stare before I could look away. It seemed he was holding back a smirk. “S’alright, lass. Us miners are just irresistible. Don’t blame ya for starin’.”

Embarrassing. Embarrassing! 

At least the embarrassment was beginning to shove my fear to the background. Though it left behind fragments of terror and discomfort, it was beginning to fade. Silver linings?

My eyes fell to my tea as I tugged his coat to wrap around my shoulders a bit better. I tried to laugh this time. “Yes, that’s the rumor about you lot. Can hardly look away they say.”

“Didn’t seem too hard fer you.”

I brought the tea back to my lips, no risk of burns this time. My thought was that if I drank my tea, I didn’t have to give a reply. Or maybe it would buy me a bit of time. Either would be fine.

Luckily, Bofur didn’t hold me to an answer. “What ya think? Might taste a bit like leftover stew, but I think that adds to the flavor.”

“It’s good. Real good,” I smiled. Then it dawned on me. “It’s green tea. You remembered?”

A proud smile came to Bofur’s face. “Aye. How could I forget? Ye never shut yer trap about it.”

The laugh that escaped my lips this time was real, my nightmare practically disappearing. I sipped at my tea again. “Ever the charmer, Bofur.” My smile faltered. “Bofur... Why exactly are you awake? Please don’t tell me I woke you.”

“Oh no, lass,” he shook his head. “I was just comin’ from watch. Saw ya shoot up from yer bedroll.”

“You shouldn’t have bothered with me. We don’t get all that much sleep as it is. You’re losing out on precious rest,” I protested. Knowing he was losing sleep over me, over something as silly as a dream, made me feel a bit guilty.

I attempted to finish my tea, fixing my eyes on the fire it had come from. There was no need for him to be kept awake any longer than he already had. I was beginning to feel like a bit of a burden.

Even without looking at him, I could tell his eyes were trained on me. It’s the sort of thing you can just feel. “And leave ya to suffer alone? Shakin’ like a leaf in the wind? By my beard, lass, what kind of a person do ye think I am?”

“An absolute sweetheart, to be sure,” I smiled. “But, still, you should be asleep right now. I’m getting in the way of that. Please, go rest. I’ll be fine now.”

“Oh no ye don’t. Can’t get rid of me that easy. So long as yer awake, I will be too.”

The idea wasn’t my favorite. Even though the nightmare was becoming like a distant memory, I was hesitant about going back to sleep. I couldn’t bear the thought of falling straight back into such a terrible predicament. 

“I doubt I’ll be sleeping anytime soon. Please, Bofur. Rest.”

“I’ve taken my stance, lass.”

Perhaps he was right about me being stubborn. It became a battle of the wills and no one was winning. Or maybe he was winning. No. You’ll never get me to say that. 

I had considered lying on my bedroll and pretending to sleep to get him to rest, but I hated to think of risking falling asleep again. Maybe the next dream would be worse. So it seemed we’d both be up for a while.

Hours passed, neither of us budging on our decision, and we spent the time doing what we did best: talking. 

It took me a bit to notice it, but somewhere along the line, we had moved closer, ending up pressed close. It became increasingly hard to stay awake, the weight of sleep was too heavy for me to keep resisting. Bofur must have been the same, I could hear the tiredness in his voice as I laid my head on his shoulder. 

“Me amad used to say something similar...” he muttered, sounding as if he were mere moments from sleep.

There was a moment of silence before the weight of his arm gently landed on my back, his hand rubbing my arm. “Seems ye’ve stopped shakin’, little One.”

I smiled, sleepily watching the fire. “Just now noticed? Suppose you’ll be wanting your coat back.”

“Oh no. Pretty lil’ lass like you looks better in it.”

A small hum was my only response. All my thoughts felt nearly too hazy to become coherent sentences. Maybe my lack of clear thoughts was what led to my placing a kiss on his shoulder. 

The favor was returned with a small kiss atop my head, followed by Bofur’s hand combing through my hair. “Ye know, we ought to do somethin’ about this hair o’ yers.”

It was already a bit dirty from our travels and I was sure the sweat I had woken up with didn’t help. Quite a frank observation there, brought a few thoughts from the haze. “Yes, a good wash is probably in order.”

“Aye... Perhaps a few braids too,” his hand fell back to my arm as he pulled back the slightest bit. “If you’ll have me.”

‘Braids? I mean, I suppose they would look quite alright. Not exactly a style I’ve used often, though,’ I thought. I nearly voiced these thoughts before I remembered a bit of information one of the others — Ori, perhaps? The memory was fuzzy — had imparted to me. Braids, and hair in general, were quite important to dwarves. If memory served me right, anyway, which could very well not be the case. Braids and beads for things like courting and marriage and- Oh. Oh.

So we were on the same page.

The realization gave me a bit more energy, helping me fight off the sleep that continued to threaten me. I raised my head and gave him the biggest smile I could in my tired state. “I wouldn’t have anyone else.”

That answer earned me a few more kisses, placed in random areas on my head and face. The kisses lasted until neither of us could fight our tiredness anymore, worn out from our own stubbornness — my head on his shoulder and his head leaning on mine.

Being close to him, no nightmare could touch me.


End file.
